Tesla Motors, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components.

Tesla Motors gained widespread attention by producing the Tesla Roadster, the first fully electric sports car.[3] Tesla also sells electric powertrain components, including lithium-ion battery packs, to other automakers, including Daimler and Toyota.[4] Although some market analysts believe that Tesla should focus its efforts on supplying powertrain components to major automakers, which have the resources to mass produce electric cars, Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk has continuously maintained that he envisions Tesla as an independent automaker.[5] Toward that end, Tesla's revenue from Roadster sales, powertrain components, and investors has been used to develop the Model S, a fully electric luxury sedan that, while still expensive, is substantially cheaper than the Roadster. Eventually, Tesla Motors plans to mass produce fully electric cars at a price that would be affordable to the average consumer.

The current three Tesla's are all completely powered by electricity, which has both downsides and upsides, all of which I will go over in this post.
[SUB]Please do bear with me as I'm new to posting in this section.
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I'll add more to these lists as they are discussed in the thread.

First some downsides of the Tesla EV's:

• Range, this is a downside all current all electric vehicles have, they just can't get enough range to compete with gasoline cars, especially since:
• Charge times. Contrary to popular belief, this isn't really the battery's fault, rather it's the fault of the plug. You just don't get enough juice out of any plugs you've got at your house, to charge an EV fast enough
• No transmission. Having manual gears to help control your car is preferred with a lot of people, some prefer automatics as well, but with the Tesla's you don't have any at all. This can of course be an upside as well, if you dislike having to shift, or if you dislike having the car shift for you).
• No proper sound from the engine. With an EV, the sound of the wheels rolling on the tarmac and the air rushing over the roof, is usually louder than the engine itself, which gives off a faint whining noise when you approach 80-100 mph.
• If the battery runs completely dry, either by driving it completely empty, or by leaving it for a long enough time without plugging it in, the battery might be impossible to recharge, leaving the car as a brick. (Basically, make sure to keep it charged ALL THE TIME)
• Expensive. It really is.

And a few upsides:

• Completely electric. There are no gases being released into the atmosphere, and Tesla says that even if you get all the electricity you charge your car with from a coal plant, you're still releasing less CO2 into the atmosphere than most ICE vehicles.
• Great acceleration. The electric motors have a lot of torque, and you get all of the power from standstill. This gives great acceleration.
• Handling. On the Model S and the Model X, the battery pack is flat along the bottom of the car, which according to Tesla gives the car amazing handling characteristics, because of the low center of gravity.
• These cars are accelerating the development of electric vehicles. Global warming is an issue (no really, it is), and we're going to have to start using less fossil fuels.
• Electric vehicle incentives. A lot of places have these, I can personally testify to the incentives in Norway. EV's can drive in the bus lanes, drives free through toll stations, parks for free, and more.
• Subjective: they look good.
• Very little maintenance. When you have an all electric vehicle, you cut away so many moving parts, and you are left with almost only electronics. Transmission, ICE, fuel tank, and much more is just gone.
• Luggage space. When you do away with so many things, you're suddenly left with a lot of space for you and your luggage. This isn't true for the Roadster, because it is a converted Lotus Elise, and the battery pack is in the back, but on the Model S and X, the battery pack is along the floor, which opens up en entire car for you, the dashboard, and your luggage.
• Electricity is cheaper than gasoline, quite a lot actually.

Now onto the cars themselves, starting with the Tesla Roadster:

The roadster is a proper sports car, based on the Lotus Elise, but converted to use an electric motor and battery pack. It's a proper conversion, leaving almost just the shell of the Elise.

Sport version 0-60 mph: 3.7 sec (Non-sport: 3.8 sec)

This is the first Tesla, it was made mostly so that Tesla could make a name for themselves, and to finance their next vehicle, the Model S.

Range:

Stated Tesla range is 245 miles.

Simon Hackett broke the distance record for an electric vehicle while driving this, when he drove 311 miles (26.9% more than stated range), from Alice Springs to Marla, South Australia.

This Tesla comes packed with features. As I said before, it has loads of luggage room, and because the battery is underneath the car, it has allowed the placement of two rear facing child seats in the trunk (these are optional), and luggage both in the front and back.

The entire center console of the car is a 17 inch touch screen, and the dashboard behind the steering wheel is also a large screen:

You can also get it with a sunroof and a lot of other fancy options, like a tech package, or better speaker package.

The Model X is a seven seat (Adult seats), crossover vehicle. Thanks to the flat battery pack, the car is so spacious that you can fit seven adults comfortably, and still have room for lots of luggage, while retaining the handling capabilities of the Model S.

0-60mph: under 5 seconds.

The Model X has just recently been announced, so not much is known, but it will have the same touch screen as the Model S.

As well as "Falcon Wing doors" (only the back doors):

(These are different from gullwings because they are double hinged on top, which allows you do open them in very cramped parking spaces (unfortunately, they are still silly):

It can also be fitted with a dual motor system, which gives you all wheel drive.

Personally I think these vehicles are amazing pieces of technology. They're not perfect, but they have some amazing features, and some incredible improvements to previous technology, and I definitely would like to own one.

Peak torque at 0 RPM is pretty awesome.
I cant wait for batteries to get lighter and cheaper, at which point making fast electric cars will become much easier and cheaper. Thats when Im going to get really interested, but right now its just not there yet.

My $30k Mustang offers performance similar to that of the $100k Tesla Roadster. So for now, I keep Petrol in my heart.

It's so weird watching the test drive and hearing no engine sound when he's accelerating.

really weird.
if they made a sub 30k with 300 mile range, and didnt take 8 hours to recharge it would be great.
range is the big problem like friday i drove 450 miles, one tank of gas. got home within ten minutes i had another 21gallons(24.5tank) of gas ready to do it again.

but the future of auto is hydrogen powered, liquid hydrogen. fill it up like you already do, a generator powers electric motors.

I think Fisker is the way to go in terms of mostly electric cars. Screw hybrids, atleast with the way Fisker does it, you get great MPG, yet still have a long distance because it uses its engine as a generator.

I think electric cars are an exercise in futility, a rich man's playtoy that ultimately will go no further. Battery tech just isn't where it needs to be for them to be practical, and even if it was the people buying sports cars don't buy them for 'green'.

The future is diesels running on plant oils and otto cycle(AKA gasoline burning engines) running on alcohols. If we build a car like a freight locomotive, where a tiny diesel engine turns a generator, which supplies electricity on-demand, with no battery in the way, we have a decent high-MPG daily driver. Those of us who insist on V8 noises and six speed manuals will be burning alcohol in our current engines. Definitely will be the case for me. I've already planned out two ways to keep my pickup running long after gasoline goes out, and if I buy a sports car I want a V8 or better up front, manual in the middle, RWD at the back, no computers in the way, and as little weight as possible. Think Chevy Corvette or Aston DB9. For me the lack of engine noise and clutch pedals is an absolute, non-negotiable dealbreaker.

The types of things that warrant a pickup bed aren't going to be badly damaged by rainfall. The ones that do, furniture is about the only thing that comes to my mind, can easily be covered and protected by a tarp.

I love the concept of Tesla cars, but I can't see myself ever purchasing one. I'm hoping that with their superior designs and technology they will soon start releasing affordable EVs, because as it stands, I have no interest in an expensive electric crossover, luxury sedan, or sports car. Maybe a small sedan, or a city car that is reasonably priced.

The promise of technology that Tesla offers is attractive, but currently that promise is purely for those who can afford it, that is, a tiny fraction of the population. I believe in the electric car, but not like this. They may be pushing the limits of technology, but it sure as hell isn't helping anyone out. Things like the Model X are purely for show ("Look ma, we made an electric crossover that works!"), and they only perpetuate the image of electric cars as playthings for the rich.

I know that Tesla has the technology to make an affordable, functional, beautiful EV. I want to see them do it.

I like the Tesla Roadster, just because the concept of an electric sports car is awesome IMO. I actually saw one on the roads around here a month or so ago- I mistook it for an Evora at first until I got closer. However, I think they should have used the Karma's idea with recharging the battery with a generator/engine.

Speaking of which, the Karma is a pretty neat car. It's actually really pretty- until you walk around the front. Jesus Christ, that fucking mustache grille is tremendously ugly. But the ability to recharge on the go and the luxury etc. is really cool.

There actually kinda is. I was up late watching some 8 year old or so Pimp My Ride reruns on Speed channel.
They 'pimped' a fucking minivan, and of course put a huge sound system in it. But they also put in this thing that will play extremely loud engine sounds from fast/powerful cars as your press the gas.
Most retarded shit EVER

To clarify, Im glad that this is happening. You need innovators to progress the technology and make it cost effective.
You need an iPhone to happen to make Android phones happen (cliche example but you get my point).

The only reason Tesla can do what they do is because of battery technology from laptops and other such portable devices. All of which are demanding less weight and more amp/hours at an ever increasing rate.
If you not only had the electronics manufactures trying to find better batteries but also the automotive manufactures looking for better batteries, you will speed up development and innovation for both industry. Next thing you know we have electric cars and phones with quad core processors, big screens and battery life measured in more than mere hours.